Monday, May 07, 2007

Superhero Reality TV?

Exactly what this show is supposed to achieve I don't know (unless Heroes is a documentary and people now have superpowers). I hate reality TV but this one is vaguely amusing. Spandex clad contestants go through reality TV ordeals that are vaguely superhero themed, such as rescuing a damsel in distress etc.

Nine tenths of the contestants are actors lured in by the prize of (presumably) starring in a Sci-Fi channel movie of their character and having a comic of their character. They're all thinking that being on the show will raise their profile - the only one I'm vaguely certain is not an actor is a rather large woman who's superhero is (and I kid you not) Fat Mother and gets her power by eating doughnuts to beat up bullies. Not Large Lady, or Big Berta or something less vulgar.

Some of the challenges are so set up (the contestant who decides to be a supervillain and torment the rest of the contestants remarkably well) and Lee is doing a pretty good job of showing them to be a bunch of phonies. For example he sets them a task to change into their costumes without being noticed and run to a certain point. Just before this point there's a kid crying out for help. Roughly 75% of the heroes run right by the girl in a race to be first.

He yells his trademark "Excelsior!" and all the "heroes" yell it back really enthusiastically. He then asks them what "Excelsior" means and everyone is sheepish and evasive, until he has to fill them in on it (apparently it means more or less up, up and away). Another one is that he designs a really duff costume for one of the heroes, asks their opinion and they say it fulfils their ultimate fantasy of being a superhero (or something cheesy), before coming back an hour later to tell Lee they actually really hate it.

Another one is that Lee asks the contestants to each choose a person to vote off. Virtually all the contestants try to vote themselves off, and pass. Stan Lee claims it was a heroic sacrifice and picks off the one guy who voted off another contestant - though it was pretty obvious all the contestants had realised the test and were calling Lee's bluff.

Bizarrely compulsive viewing - have I been hit by the reality TV bug? ARGH!